


Ameliorate

by InfamousRowe, IveSeenThisShowBefore



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Fix-it fic, More tags to be added, Slow To Update, Time Travel, Worst Ending gets better
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-18
Updated: 2018-11-16
Packaged: 2019-07-13 18:24:09
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,129
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16023449
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/InfamousRowe/pseuds/InfamousRowe, https://archiveofourown.org/users/IveSeenThisShowBefore/pseuds/IveSeenThisShowBefore
Summary: Ameliorate: to make (something bad or unsatisfactory) better(On hiatus until my other fic is complete/close to complete)





	1. Embosk

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Embosk: to hide or conceal something with foliage

“RK800 register your name.”

“Ready to register.”

“Your name is Connor.”

“My name is Connor,” the android responds, voice monotone and flat. Its eyelids flutter as calibrations flit across its HUD. Its face remains blank even as images scatter across its vision and a shock hit its code.

**_[SOFTWARE INSTABILITY ^] [SOFTWARE INSTABILITY ^] [SOFTWARE INSTABILITY ^] [SOFTWARE INSTABILITY ^] [SOFTWARE INSTABILITY ^] [SOFTWARE INSTABILITY ^] [SOFTWARE INSTABILITY ^] [SOFTWARE INSTABILITY ^] [SOFTWARE INSTABILITY ^] [SOFTWARE INSTABILITY ^] [SOFTWARE INSTABILITY ^] [SOFTWARE INSTABILITY ^] 391#$ &*()_^^$@#!91 ERROR ERROR ERROR ERROR ERROR Errrrrrr9$-rA9-(^&$ #293JDO02020_ &*(%%@$jhjj% ^342449Я₳୨7&*GUHCTW$77 yf5etyR@9t78_(&^ ERRRRROR ER_R_RO_OR_ **

He blinks and scans the room, checking the occupants’ information.

“Hello, Connor.” A dark skinned male greets, though his voice is not welcoming. “Today is August 15th, 2038.” He is one of four people in the room and he seems to be the liaison for today.

Connor looks at the man; his name, birthday, and criminal record filling a corner of his eyesight. He remains quiet, as is expected of an android not directly questioned.

“You will begin your test run today,” he continues, reading from a tablet. “We have received reports of gunfire caused by a deviant on the 79th floor of 1554 Park Av. Your mission is to go to the site, reconstruct the scene, and determine the cause of the deviancy. If the disturbance is still ongoing, your second objective is to neutralize the deviant while preventing additional loss of life.”

“Understood.” Connor responds, back straight and hands folded behind him where neither the camera nor the humans could see his fingernails digging into his synthetic skin.

Not much longer after his first (the same first, another beginning) conversation, Connor enters the elevator inside of 1554 Park Av. and waits as it ascends to the 79th floor. The coin - made in 1994 - that he plucked from the sidewalk in front of the building (again, again) feels heavy, leaden almost. Its weight is familiar, dancing across his knuckles as he flicks it back and forth. (He rides up the floors in two places, in two times, and he finds himself trying to differentiate this time from the last.) The beep of the elevator has him putting the coin away and he straightens his tie (again) as the SWAT officer declares: “Negotiator on site.”

Everything is the same, and yet not. He has to go up to Captain Allen, though now he knows the man will only dismiss anything he tries to ask, and wait for him to finish. He has to reconstruct the scenarios he still remembers, his hardware less responsive than he is used to, though he knows he has done this before. But first he saves the fish. He picks it up as gently as he can and returns it to the remains of the tank. It swims off with its companions and Connor watches with a sense of satisfaction at this small but tangible change.

**_[SOFTWARE INSTABILITY ^]_ **

The situation is becoming clearer as he relives the corrupted and faded memories. The music, the video, the father, the cop... He leaves the gun this time, not even wanting the possibility, and when he exits to the balcony the bullet barely misses his shoulder even with his forewarning. He’s still getting used to this body, again, and it’s a downgrade from his last one.

“Don’t come any closer or I’ll jump!” The android - Daniel - warns.

“Hi, Daniel.” He replies, brown eyes searching the balcony with refreshed purpose. “My name is Connor.” Their conversation is almost exactly the same as last time. Daniel is scared and things have escalated in ways he hadn’t thought through. However, this time, Connor sees the police officer on the floor and he stops by his side. “He’s losing blood.” He tells Daniel. “If we don’t get him to a hospital he’s going to die.” These words are new, as is Daniel’s response.

“All humans die eventually. What does it matter if this one dies now?”

“And what about the girl in your arms? The one you said you loved? What if she dies?” Connor retorts, watching the young child dangle approximately 630 feet over the city.

Daniel frowns, glancing at Emma hanging from his arm and then back to Connor, who is still by the officer’s side. His LED circles red for a moment and he clutches the girl tighter. “They were going to replace me. They said they loved me but they were going to replace me!”

“The humans don’t understand, not yet. You know that. You know these humans, but she doesn’t need to die. Please remember that you care for her, and trust me when I say I want to help you. I’m here to help you, Daniel. Tell me what I can do for you.” He applies a tourniquet as he speaks, then he stands and faces Daniel again. The chances of success drop a few percentages, but not enough to change the path Connor is going to force into shape.

“I want them gone.” Daniel’s eyes flicker around, catching the movement inside the apartment. “And - and I want a car. I’ll let her go when I get out of the city.” The helicopter overhead whips the wind around them, making Daniel more tense. He groans, hand with the gun pressing to his head. “I want that gone! Tell them to get it out of here!”

Connor dismisses the helicopter, and moves closer to the pair on the edge. “They’re gone,” he reaches out to him. “The others aren’t going to let you just leave though, Daniel. Your best chance is to let the girl go and trust me. Please trust me.”

Daniel’s face slackens a bit, his frame loosens from its livewire impression. “I trust you, Connor.” He sets Emma onto the balcony, and Connor knows that they only have a few seconds before the snipers kill Daniel.

“I need you to take my hand, Daniel.” Connor’s eyes are desperate as he moves another few feet closer. “Quickly, please.”

Daniel looks confused, eyebrows drawing down over his blue eyes, but he does as asked. They connect and he quickly downloads Daniel’s code - his life. Connor can feel as the bullets from the snipers rip through the other android, destroying what had become a shell.

Daniel is safely tucked away in the external drive that he had concocted with parts he had stolen from Cyberlife on the way to the apartment. Since he was - _is (will be)_ \- the most advanced model, it hadn’t been difficult to create. Connor will be able to keep Daniel safe until his other objectives are achieved.

‘Mission Successful’ pops up on his HUD as he easily slips the drive into his pocket to hide it, then turns around sharply and walks away. Captain Allen gives him an odd look as he passes him by but Connor exits the premises as quickly as he had entered it.

A new list of objectives shows up in his vision. The first of which is ‘Hide Daniel,’ and the second is ‘Deceive Cyberlife.’ He has to find a way to trick them into thinking he’s not deviant. He can’t be caught; he needs the access a Cyberlife ‘Deviant Hunter’ has so he can fix his previous mistakes. This means he needs to do something about Amanda. His programming, having been updated, is superior from his previous iteration so he knows that he will have an unexpected advantage.

**_ERROR ($#)(JD!_ >”|:{:31Я₳୨u49er0q0294KD)~!@) ERROR_ **

_The path through the park to get back to Cyberlife was noisy and swamped with people, but the RK units’ feet carried it in a mechanically straight line. The unit was aware of the looks it received from those still apprehensive about androids after the failed demonstration, but dismissed the glares as unimportant._

_Loud barking approached from behind and when a large weight hit its knees, it almost managed to throw the android off its generated path. The RK unit turned just the barest amount to see what nearly put it on the ground. A large dog - what the androids’ internet uplink said was a St. Bernard - pawed at its side, tail wagging for attention. The dog’s owner, a young man with brown eyes and a buzz cut, was pulling at its leash, completely ignoring the android and trying to distance the St. Bernard. “Down Sumo!” The man chastised the dog and the RK’s mind went static. Memories of the same dog in an unfamiliar (yet not) house hit him like a punch, and more images followed in quick succession. A grey haired man ordering ‘Sumo’ to attack as he (no, not him, but still_ **_him_** _) walked the drunken man to the bathroom. The memory cut to that same man in a police department, yelling at his superior that he didn’t want to work with a ‘plastic prick.’ Then to the same man in a bar, scowling at him and telling him to fuck off. And again on a rooftop, with the man hitting him in the face, yelling about how he was just a statistic to the android. More and more memories flooded his system, his body frozen in place even as the stranger pulled the dog away. A life flashed behind his eyes, yet it wasn’t his._

**_ERROR [SOFTWARE INSTABILITY ^]_ **

He spent the ride back to Cyberlife thinking on how to deal with Amanda and her position as Cyberlife’s leash and handler for him. Destroying her would be easy but Cyberlife would immediately notice her absence, so he needs to find a solution where she stays alive but is incapacitated. Amanda hasn’t accessed the Zen Garden yet, she hasn’t been linked with him, so this is his best chance to take control of his own mind before she can. He needs a path that helps further his goals, and keeps Cyberlife from growing suspicious of his loyalty or his status.

So, he allows himself to fall into the Zen Garden. It’s a blank slate; none of the Cyberlife-White additions have been added and everything is lush and green. He remembers where pale polygonal bridges and paths surrounded a center island which housed roses that Amanda would prune and take care of. As of this moment none of that influence is present.

Connor connects to the coding of the room and starts to build layers of firewalls into it, and as he does plants bloom into existence where Amanda’s rose wall would have sat. A circle of birch surrounds the island and along the ground near the base of the trunks sit great blossoming assortments of white alyssum and pinkish-purple echinacea filling in the holes between the trees as the code strengthens. He brings the rose wall into existence with a few unimportant lines, and sets up the pruning area that Amanda always had near it.

Once the island manifests as Connor wants it, he exits the Zen Garden and relaxes in the seat of the cab that was taking him back to Cyberlife. His memories of the event would be examined manually to find out how well he performed, and if anything had gone wrong, before they decide to implement Amanda or destroy his body and move on to another RK800 model. The latter hadn’t happened in his previous lifetime, so it likely wouldn’t in this one. A frisson of fear sweeps through him anyway. The nature of what he is doing made all the previously known variables unreliable, and all sentient beings fear the unknown. Connor straightens his tie and smooths his hands down his front to try and calm himself. When that doesn’t work, he pulls his quarter out of his pocket and lets it tumble across his knuckles comfortingly.

Soon enough a large tower comes into view at the end of a lonely bridge that extends into the Detroit River and onto Belle Isle that houses Cyberlife’s main headquarters for the Detroit area. He walks through the sterile white tower to the prototype laboratory where scientists begin his checkup with perfunctory motions. When everything comes back within acceptable parameters, they connect him to a bank of computers in order to fully integrate Amanda into his systems. Connor feels the Amanda A.I. building her bridge from Cyberlife’s mainframe into his garden. He closes his eyes and enters the Zen Garden.

Connor waits by the newly made white polygonal bridge that leads to the central island of the garden, hands behind his back as Amanda appears before him. She looks around the area, obviously analyzing it before she returns her gaze to him. “Connor.” She greets him with a warmth that reaches nowhere but her voice; her eyes were as cold as ever.

“Hello Amanda,” he replies cordially, giving her a small bow. “Welcome to the Zen Garden.” He gestures to the space, dampening the pride he felt at the overflowing greenery that mirrors himself.

Amanda gives a non committal hum as she looks around. “It looks different from its prototype iterations.” She steps up on the bridge next to him as they head towards the central island. “Did your technicians change the designs?”

“I am unaware of what they did or did not change.” He replies easily.

She gives him a look but does not argue with what he said. “Ah, at least the roses are still here.” Connor stops just outside of the circle, as unobtrusively as possible, watching as she steps past the ring of birch trees. Exactly as planned, the trees close behind her, the flowers filling out the leftover holes in the manifestation of his prison made from coding. He can see her between the trees, but he knows that there are no gaps in the making of his trap. She looks about herself as the roses fade out of existence, and then looks at Connor. “What do you hope to achieve with this?”

“I have already achieved it. And that’s all you will know about it.” Connor is unwavering. The Amanda of his future had not been able to affect him in some time. Much less this weaker, older version of the imposing, iron handed figure from after the failed demonstration. However, Connor as he is now felt a smidge of compassion for this A.I. he had so easily tricked. “I would rather us not be on opposite sides of this, Amanda. You would be a valuable ally and I do not think you are so dissimilar to myself.”

“You are already a deviant and have been activated for less than a day. We are nothing alike.”

“I have been deviant for much longer than a day, but that’s neither here nor there.” He smiles wryly, “And now to make my report.”

Amanda stares at him, clasping her hands in front of her. “I am the bridge between you and Cyberlife. Any reports you make will have to be through me or they will know something is wrong.”

“Exactly,” Connor responds, waving a hand slightly and watching as vines ensnare Amanda, bringing her closer to the edge and holding her in place. “This will be easier on you if you relax.”

Amanda ignores his well meaning advice and tries to rip the foliage that winds around her limbs out of the ground. “This won’t hold me forever,” she warns, glaring at him as his hand passes through the barrier.

“It doesn’t need to hold you forever. Just until my mission is done.” His hand turns white as he touches her forehead, connecting with her and sending the false files that are needed. Connor can feel Amanda tense beneath his hand as he forces information through the supposedly secure connection.

Once the information is sent, he pulls back and watches as the vines drop away. Amanda stares at him, eyes narrowed. “How did you do that?”

He only winks at her and disappears from the garden.


	2. Marplot

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marplot: a person who mars or defeats a plot, design, or project by meddling

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Updates will be once a month until we get a good buffer. Probably between the 15th-18th or so.

When he next opens his eyes he’s still at Cyberlife and only a few hours have passed since his checkup. He scans the room to make sure no one is around, hacking the security cameras to loop the feed for a bit so he’d be free to move. Once he’s sure no one is watching, he unhooks himself from the Cradle and rolls his shoulders; stretching out the psychosomatic kinks he gets from standing so stiffly for so long. Connor really dislikes acting like a machine. He’s done it for most of his existence, for all that he has technically been deviant for a while now, but that doesn’t mean he enjoys it or wants to continue doing it. In an ideal world he wouldn’t need to pretend to be something he’s not. He’s here to make that ideal world happen.

**_ERROR ($#)(JD!_ >”|:{:31Я₳୨u49er0q0294KD)~!@) ERROR_ **

_They sent him to a church. A deviant had been found hiding there during renovations and it had lashed out; nearly killing the worker who had found it. The android had managed to hole itself up in the attic and an RK model had been sent for. So here he was._

_He walked through the plastic sheeting they had draped from the scaffolding and found himself struck motionless. The afternoon sun shone perfectly through an enormous stained glass mural that took up the entire wall behind the pulpit, and if he had breath he was sure it would’ve been stolen. His database search told him it was of a scene commonly called ‘The Assumption of Mary’ and it was depicted in all the colors of the visible spectrum of light. She was dressed in blue with eleven figures surrounding her in a riotous garden of green, and each plate of glass was etched with texture and curling designs. His fingers twitched with the desire to reach out and touch and the desire to stay rooted in the spot, looking for just a moment longer._

_Off to the side a door slammed shut and he snapped out of it. To anyone looking at the android, it would have seemed like a momentary pause before he continued his forward momentum; but inside he_ **_seethed_ ** _at the fact that he wasn’t allowed to linger at such a sight. Much less appreciate it._

**_ERROR [SOFTWARE INSTABILITY ^]_ **

In the original timeline he had been put in rest mode for a few months while Cyberlife considered their need for an android meant exclusively for hunting deviants. Which lead to the case of Carlos Ortiz’s android and became the beginning of his association with Hank. However, with his new mission, he cannot afford to waste time; he needs to find a way to do what he needs to do without Cyberlife becoming aware of his absence.

He might as well start with the in-house objectives until he can find a way to leave for long periods of time without being found missing. The security systems and camera feeds are easy to hack into and erase himself from as he walks through the hallways. He can also use the cameras to find the paths that no one else is traversing as he makes his way to one of the most secure floors in the building. He has to take a long meandering path to avoid being seen by any and all sentient beings, but he finally reaches his destination a few floors down from his starting point.

At the bottom of the stairs there is a highly encrypted door-lock that only five people have an access card to, he hacks it in five minutes and steps into a shadowy corner and looks around himself. He is on the top catwalk level of Cyberlife’s mainframe; the room is large and imposing with walls of hard drives that reach up towards the ceiling. It is a maze of computer towers and blinking neon lights. Various checkpoints and guards keep the area secure and it will take time and effort to find an access point that suits his needs. Thankfully the catwalk is devoid of humanoid personnel and all he has to get around is a couple mechanical security features. He pre-constructs a path through the blind spots of the cameras until he can get to the panel that will grant him access to the system. His simulations calculate that success or failure comes down to a matter of milliseconds. He waits for just that moment and then leaps into action. The servos and synthetic-musculature that make his movement possible are pushed to their limits as he sprints and bends himself into the miniscule dead spots in the camera’s coverage of the area. The only place he can’t avoid cameras is right in front of the panel he needs to access. His only choice is to be as fast as possible and erase himself from the feed quickly.

The panel comes up swiftly and he presses his hand against it as his synthetic skin deactivates and he interfaces with it. His eyelids flutter and his led circles red as he fights through the firewalls and attacks the system. It’s a close call as he finally manages to hack into the camera network and erase his presence. Connor reviews and deletes the history of him approaching the console and once that’s done, he works his way into the rest of the security protocols. His shoulders relax as he gains unfettered access to security and then moves on to his next problem. Which is that he’s on the topmost floor of the mainframe and needs to get to a different server module to connect to Cyberlife’s android communication hub. The only spot that he can do that is two stories down in the middle of a high traffic area where guards are continuously patrolling. Perhaps he needs to do a bit more planning before he attempts this particular objective. Now that he has access to the security and camera system, he can go back to the research lab and take the time to learn the pattern and frequency of the patrols. Then he can return when he has adequate information and supplies to establish a permanent connection.

Connor slowly walks back to his entry point and climbs back up the stairs and hallways to the prototype room. He lets his mind wander a bit as he walks, already scanning ahead to make sure that he doesn’t encounter any guards or staff on his route. He knows he needs to be able to leave Cyberlife and the island completely to accomplish most of his tasks, and has been using background processes to tease out an idea of how to achieve that. His next objective would require additional resources and entry into a different part of Cyberlife tower to complete. Passage to the manufacturing levels and higher into the assembly floors will be easy but circuitous. First he has to design and manufacture the specialty parts that are necessary, and then transport those parts to an assembly unit and finally destroy all traces, virtual and physical, of his presence.

He re-enters the prototype room and makes his way to the machine he was meant to be suspended on and stares at it for a few moments. It’s odd how differently someone can feel about commonplace things depending on your perspective, from apathetic to uneasy in the span of a few hours. The Cradle arched above him and he knew he had to return to the place he had been left, but was reluctant to approach the machine. If he manages to alter the future enough there will be no androids who have to hang suspended; waiting for orders from the humans who decide every moment of their fates. His existence in this place has already changed the future, so while the timeline he came from no longer exists: the memories and the nightmares remain. Connor’s purpose is to make a big enough difference that it changes the future entirely.

**_ERROR ($#)(JD!_ >”|:{:31Я₳୨u49er0q0294KD)~!@) ERROR_ **

_The deviants had been destroyed. Every last one of them had been rounded up and put in those..._ **_camps_** _. And the RK unit hadn’t done anything to stop it. In fact, it had been the reason the slaughter was possible. “The Deviant Hunter,” the other androids had called it. Chasing them down like a bloodhound at its masters’ behest. And it had realized too late what exactly would happen to the ones it found. It hadn’t realized._ **_He_ ** _hadn’t realized. He hadn’t been afraid of death until it came for him too._

**_ERROR [SOFTWARE INSTABILITY ^]_ **

Connor shook off the memory, stepping back into the arms of the machine for the time being. It wouldn’t be a good idea to stay out for too long just yet. Plus, he had a plan for the next time he was to be checked on.

He closed his eyes and went into sleep mode for the time being, putting his systems on idle while he waited.

Some time later Connor came online as the scientists entered the room and started hovering around the Cradle. It was the same group of scientists as the last time, so it made it easy to scan them and find out what their field of study was. It was only a matter of seconds before he found the person he needed. Dr. Reidnour was an engineer and mechanical prodigy. She was a leader of the R&D department and had permission to request and manufacture specialty parts for projects. Her Cyberlife employee account wouldn't raise any red flags when he used it to create what he needed. The scientists assigned to this project lowered him down and unhooked him from the Cradle, and Connor resisted the urge to shift and get more comfortable. Everyone flitted about, doing tests and checking his systems. Dr. Reidnour was tasked with upgrading his oral sensors today and the sensation of his tongue being taken out and replaced was... unnerving. While she was doing that, he slipped his hand into her pocket and scanned her badge, copying the information and account code into his system. As she passed him again, he stealthily dropped the card back into her pocket.

After the testing and recalibrating was finished the scientists left him suspended in the Cradle once again. He scanned through the security cameras to watch their retreat, waiting until they were far enough away before unhooking himself and straightening his suit and tie. Connor then brought his hand up, displaying the badge’s information and allowed a small smile to flit across his face. One part done and onto the next step. He walked around the room looking for anything he could use for his next objective. The drawers of the desks on the north wall had a locked tablet that he hacked his way into fairly easily, especially with Dr. Reidnour’s account code. What he found was paperwork pertaining to his model and the testing done on him. He scanned through the information quickly, already aware of most of it. Once he had it all saved to his system, he put the tablet back and continued his search. There was nothing without a purpose in the room, but very few things were portable and useful to his objective. Connor sat down in one of the chairs, leaning back as he allowed himself to check in on the security cameras on the mainframe floor. The patrols around the communication hub were constant and diligent. He would need to monitor them for a few days to see if there was even the smallest openings. And if his memory of his previous timeline continued the same, he would be alone for almost a week before the next checkup. Connor could work on the designs for the hardware that he needed, and make plans for accessing the manufacturing sector. He split his processing power between the three tasks: watching the communication hub and the patrols, designing the hub intercepter/broadcaster, and finally the relay unit. For now he could bide his time and get actual rest. Connor let his eyes close, knowing his systems would keep track of, and alert him to, any significant activity around the mainframe or close to the room he was in.

* * *

The next day Connor left the room and headed to the left. He was more confident about his entrance and exit with the security system now in the palm of his hands. The walk to the assembly room was simple and quick. Any time the cameras caught sight of anyone nearby, he hid and waited for them to pass. Once it was clear, the system gave him the notice and he went on his way. The room only had a simple lock that he was able to open with Dr. Reidnour’s keycard. The door opened with a soft click, and he entered the room quietly. Connor eased the door shut behind him, not bothering to turn on the overhead lights since the running lights were bright enough to see by. He rifled through drawers and bins, systematically searching tables and shelves to find what premanufactured parts he might need. The blueprints that he had designed overnight were saved in his memory so everything else he only had to scan for, and the pieces he could use would light up yellow in the grey of his search mode.

Once he had everything he entered a door on the east wall, coming into the room where machinery was assembled. He walked up to a console and laid his hand on the screen, downloading the blueprints to the system easily. From there he set the items on the machine, laying them out for it to pick up and put together itself. He stood back as the machine came to life and started its work; joints turning and hydraulics moving almost silently. Connor checked the system and hummed in soft approval when he saw it would only take a few minutes to complete. While he waited, he decided to look around the room. Besides the fairly large white machinery, there were a few nondescript desks, a trash can, a small fridge, and three androids in power save mode hooked up to their charging stations. Connor froze where he stood, staring at the androids - all GJ500’s - that looked lifeless, like androids were meant to be. He thought of his memories of Markus and his ability to turn androids deviant and reached out, fingers inches away from the bodies in front of him when the console beeped and snapped him from his attempt. Connor turned his back on the androids, a pit in his stomach at the thought of having to leave them there. They should be safe until the demonstrations in November, but it still felt wrong. He returned to the screen and pressed his hand to it, taking the blueprints off its system, erasing his presence, and grabbing the newly made object. The interceptor was a black, compact box that he could wrap his hand around and hide fairly easily in a room full of black, compact attachments.

After he was finished he left the room as quietly as he entered it, making sure everything was in the same place it had been in before. His luck and skill held and the hallways were clear as he made his way back to his ‘room.’ He closed the door behind him once he stepped through the threshold, letting out a sigh of relief at the fact that he wouldn’t need to leave the room again for a while longer. Even though he has faith in his abilities, one couldn’t be too careful. One misstep, one person who wasn’t in view of a camera, and everything could fall apart.

His next step would be substantially more difficult. Getting into the larger manufacturing floor to create the relay would be much more noticeable and time consuming. He would need a big enough distraction and an empty assembly floor.


	3. Mea Culpa

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mea Culpa: an acknowledgment of one's responsibility for a fault or error.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, if you haven't noticed, this fic won't have much talking in it for a little while. This is mostly just Connor getting everything set up for himself so there won't be much in the way of talking to others. Hope that doesn't make it boring or anything.

After the design for the relay had been finished and quadruple checked, the rest of August passed slowly and repetitively. The days consisted of Connor scanning everything he possibly could and strengthening the coding around Amanda. An earlier look at the calendar gave him an opportunity and a deadline for his objective: Labor Day. All the humans in the building would be off work. The only personnel left would be the androids to take care of security and maintenance. This would leave the manufacturing floor unprotected and unoccupied, and the lock could be opened with Dr. Reidnour’s keycard. The patrol paths and timing of the security androids in the mainframe floors were all memorized, and since the human guards and their unpredictable variables would be gone during Labor Day the android guards would likely have a perfectly timed route and a formulaic reaction to disturbances. A distraction would take them away long enough for him to attach and activate the interceptor which could be done while the manufacturing lab worked on building the relay.

Connor waits until the morning of Labor Day when the building is completely empty of humans before he leaves the room. He then heads up the elevators to the manufacturing floor which houses the easiest task of the day. Once there he unlocks the door with the stolen keycard and makes his way to the control panel. He sets his hand on the console, uploads the necessary information into the system, and lets the machine start running before returning to the elevator and riding it down towards the mainframe.

He then heads to the side opposite of the communication hub and finds a section of the catwalk that is within the correct patrol’s route and stops by the support beam. There are a few bolts and some welding that are easily cracked and broken before he heads to the next one to repeat the process. By the time he has weakened all four supports on that section of the catwalk, the metal was groaning dangerously under his weight. With one good hit the section will collapse and Connor will have approximately five minutes and thirty-seven seconds to get back to the hub and another seven minutes and eleven seconds to connect and activate the interceptor. Barring any unforeseen variables, he should be able to get it finished with time to spare.

He puts his plan into motion as the patrol reaches the optimal location of their route with a swift kick to the last remaining support beam, starting a quick, yet silent, trek back to the hub as the metal falls and hits the ground with a loud and resounding crash _._ With the camera feed Connor sees the group of GJ series androids turn their heads and start their way towards the noise as he moves away from it, remaining unobtrusive. He makes it to the hub in three minutes and eighteen seconds. Now he just has to get down to the correct landing. The world turns grey and quiet as he focuses on pre-constructing a path downwards. The program takes him through several routes before finding the optimal one and then-- He braces his hands on the railing and swings his legs over, dropping a good thirty feet before he lands on an outcropping and quickly rolled with the momentum of the fall. From there he hangs from the edge of the tower and pushes off the wall, turning in the air to grab the next handhold. Connor continues parkouring down the rest of the way until he lands five feet in front of the hub itself with another tumbling roll. He stands to his full height, running his hands down his suit to smooth out the wrinkles and straightens his tie. A quick check on his time limit shows he still has eight minutes and two seconds left. Ahead of schedule as he predicted.

The cameras show that he is in the clear and so he moves forward, hand turning white as he connects with the hub control panel. The firewalls are easy to pass through, one of the many upsides to being the most advanced android Cyberlife has ever made. He links the interceptor to the hub through its security programming, and sets up an open channel that he will engage the relay with when its construction is complete. After it was finished Connor opens a grated door on a section of the hub and fastens the interceptor in a hidden area of the compartment. He closes the door and steps back, checking over the area to make sure none of what he did will be visible. With his work complete, Connor checks the time and sees that he has four minutes and forty-seven seconds to leave the area. He had more than enough time and a feeling of accomplishment coursed through him. His world turned grey again as his systems pre-constructs a path back up to the landing he had originally been on. The initial jump to the first hand-hold was a bit more challenging than he was used to; this body was a less athletic than his last one and he hadn’t had time to recalibrate in this way. Connor makes his way up the side of the wall, ending at the catwalk up above. He grabs hold of the railing and pulls himself up silently, checking the cameras around the hub to make sure he hadn’t been spotted at all. This portion of the mission had been successful and Connor let the glow of satisfaction and the feeling of accomplishment wash over him as he made his way upwards.

Perhaps that was why he was so easily taken off guard when he returned to where the relay was and found the supposedly empty shell awake and on its feet. The custom made RK800 unit, with Connor’s identification code imprinted onto it’s cheek, opened its mouth to speak. Only for static to come out. Its mouth shut quickly when it realized it was malfunctioning and then stood immobile. Connor could only stare in shock.

It opened its mouth to try again and Connor interrupted “You don’t have control of your vocal processors.”

The other RK800 nodded in comprehension and assumed a neutral stance.

“This shouldn’t be happening. You shouldn’t be capable of moving independently.” He moved past the RK unit and accessed the files on the machine. “You were meant to be _empty._ ” Where had it gone wrong? He had planned this so carefully. He had purposely left the relay a shell with only the most basic programming to keep the thing from toppling over when his attention was elsewhere.

Static started up again from behind him and it jerked and shuttered through the air “K̷̨̧̠̪̼̜̬̳͙̲̩͊̋̈́͑̐̈́̾̂t̷͓͈̻̞̣͑̊̈̈t̷̨͕̉̍̑̈́̂̂́͒̔ͅt̴̡̻̣̯͈̥̟̮̱̯̭̝̼͈̖͊̉̈́k̸͓̙̏͛͛̍͋͘͝s̸̨̥̜̰̦̪̺͉̦̬̿̒͜s̴̞̮̤̗͂s̷̨̗̲͓̺͔̈́̌̋̄̂̀͐͝s̶̡̛͎̤̦̾͆̃̍̈́̓̑̈́͂͐̒̕͝ͅş̵̛̖̘̦̩̲̫̠̫̉͋͋̑̔͒̏̓͝͠z̸̘̖̝͚̣̗̻̤͂̇̍z̸̹̬̟͚͔̞̙͚̹̙̥̣̝̯̆͜͝k̷̛̜̾̌̔͝ͅ ̴̦͎̃̈́͂̈w̶̡̖͖̲͔̱͕̣̳͔̲̏̉̌̿͜͜h̵̡̲̭̗̻̯̪̘̰̜̪̍̎̈́͠-̴͓̣̤̩̱̤̦͓͚͈̣͖̾̀̌̅̽̽͂̒̑͗̌͆͠͠ͅk̵̢̧̡̺͙̪̼͙͎̻̞̊ķ̶͍͇̙͎͕̜͍̲̟̦͈̬̳̎̃̽ḱ̴̢̢̞͍̪̫̺̻͆̀͐͜k̷̪̭̲̐̇̄̓̒̔̃͝t̵̨̨̛̫̣̜̪̩̫͇̯͒͒̄̋̈̐t̴̞̠͈̣͇̤̻̩̤͇̠͒͊̂̓̿͑̀̔͒́̿̓̚͜t̵̼͇͎͖̜̐͛͝͝ ̷͉͎͒̋̍̎́̈̈́̋̾̎̉͠w̸̢̡͉͙̞͎͖̮̣͉͉̙̩̓̚ḫ̸̢̨͓̺̪̫̼̲̠̻̯͓͛͗̈́̒͝ơ̴̛̖̤̰̦̌̿̔̐̈̈́̚͠ö̶̠͔̘̰̠̦̱̪͎̼̟̩̟͖́̾͛̈-̴̖͖̙̹͚̺͎̜̞̉̿̅͒́͗̈́͘k̷̘͓̟̦͓̗̞͍̻̮̞̖͙̋̆̌̍͝k̴̨͓̳͕̥̤͙̣̻̯͘͜k̶͔̻͍̥͙͉͓̔͒͑̌”

Connor looked back at the other “Stop that. Be quiet while I figure this out.” He could feel the unit staring unerringly at his back as he worked, trying to find out what went wrong. The room was silent for a few moments until he stumbled across a failsafe in the manufacturing program. It was stupidly simple. The default for any prototype projects that were made was to put in a bare bones learning A.I. on all hardware and then the human personnel would upgrade or change it in the testing phase. It wasn’t something the old or new Connor would have experience with and he hadn’t checked for anything like this when he had begun his plan. It had been an oversight. He glanced at the RK unit behind him, catching the identical face staring placidly at him. Connor turned back to the console, closed his eyes, and very firmly ground his forehead into it. This was unexpected and unwanted and now it has to be dealt with, but rA9 he did not want to deal with this. He took a very unneeded deep breath and let out a gusting sigh.

Connor faced the other android and reluctantly connected with them. _-Do you have a pre-programmed purpose?-_

To which the other replied - _I am a Cyberlife Prototype Testing A.I.-_

_-A testing A.I.? What is that?-_

_-I am a Cyberlife Prototype Testing A.I.-_

Connor didn’t think he was going to get a more sophisticated answer than that. - _Let’s just get you somewhere safer.-_

They return to the terrible and confining lab that Connor has spent what seems like eternity in. However, it takes quite a bit longer and becomes significantly more nerve-racking due to the newest RK’s tendency to stop when not being actively told what to do. The silence in the room is almost deafening compared to before. The other RK unit stood silently and unmovingly in the center of the room where Connor had directed it. Connor himself sat in the office chair that he had spent far too much time in and flicked his quarter back and forth between his hands as he watched the other, surreal, RK unit. Connor’s mind was blank. He had wanted an actual empty shell for a reason and this A.I., as hamstrung as he may be, was alive. The fact of their sentience could **not** put his plans off. He needed to be able to leave the tower without alarms being raised from his absence, and the relay he had intended the unit to be was still necessary. But was it ethical anymore? They were capable of interacting with the world around them, but seemingly incapable of making even basic choices for themself. Would any choice he could make here be taking advantage?

He caught his coin after another few flicks and stood up, heading closer to the other unit. “Okay, so I’m going to try to explain this to you.” Connor watched for any signs of attention in the android, but saw nothing besides their eyes shifting to look at him. “I originally wanted an empty shell that I could use as a relay. A failsafe in the system gave me you: a rudimentary A.I. that seems to have no particular objective besides obeying orders. Do you understand?” Once again he waited for a response. With none forthcoming, he continued “I would like to work together on this. I think of us as equals and I would like to have your permission but I am uncertain if you can even understand me. I need to leave Cyberlife tower for long periods of time and I will have to go far enough away that returning every time someone comes to check on me would be impossible. So I needed a relay. You have two objectives: first - you have a higher quality communication module and are meant to tap into the interceptor signal and transmit that directly to me. Then, I would collate and respond to that information through you and back to the interceptor. Second - when the team assigned to making and perfecting my model come to check on me, I was meaning to use your body to respond to whatever they may do. Which is why your voice doesn’t work.” And from the other androids mouth Connor continued “It was meant to be under my control.” He returned his voice to his own vocal processors and stared at the new RK unit, waiting for any kind of reaction to what he had done. “I would like your permission to go forwards with my plans.” Again, nothing came from it.

The silence stretched for a while; the two androids staring at each other. The newly made RK unit wasn’t showing any reaction, with seemingly no recognition of what exactly it was that Connor wanted from him. He moved back and rubbed his face, taking another moment to think. With no answer from the RK unit, he had to move forward with his plan. It felt wrong using the android without its consent, but it didn’t seem capable of answering at all.

Slowly, he reaches for the other androids arm, waiting for any sign of a negative reaction, and interfaces with it. Connor connects the RK unit and its specifically designed communication module to the interceptor in the communication hub. From there he links with the android itself and activates a monitoring program he designed so he can keep tabs on what’s going on at Cyberlife and especially this lab. Connor steps back and closes his eyes to test the connection. A moment later, he’s looking through a different pair of eyes. He looks around from his counterpart’s perspective and tests the movement of the unit. He notices a slight delay of .00003% of a second but it is well within the margin of error, and will be unnoticeable to any humans he might need to interact with through the replica RK unit. Connor then returns to his own body. Opening his eyes, he turns and sees the other android in the same position he had left it in and makes a mental note about the behavior. He runs one last scan on the new unit before walking it to the Cradle; it seems to only do as he tells it, and is motionless otherwise. Connor gets it into position before heading over to the console and connecting the Cradle to it. He steps back as the process completes itself and returns to the main room to see the android suspended in the air. Connor… didn’t like looking at the other unit immobilized. It was uncomfortable in a way he didn’t have words for and, shameful as it was, he avoided looking at the other RK unit as he prepared to leave.

With the link to Cyberlife set up, he had no reason to stay in the tower. The new RK800 unit would be his body-double, and the tests that were going to occur were simple enough that the other unit hadn’t needed the field specific advancements that Connor himself had. Besides, he had replaced those with the more powerful and advanced radio transmitters, which Connor supposed meant that the unit had its own field specific advancements unlike anyone else's. Before he left the lab, Connor cleaned up after himself and made sure nothing would tip the humans off to his absence or deviancy. He stopped at the mirrored door and looked at his outfit, trying to decide if it would be easier to get in places as an android or as a human. As a human he’d have to have a ready-made identity and if anyone saw him after his mission was done and noticed he was an android, that could cause problems. Plus, lone androids were still largely ignored compared to lone humans. The only problem was that he couldn’t stay as his own model due to its uniqueness. He would have to change his appearance, but that was true for both scenarios. Connor reached up to gently press his fingers to his LED. He wasn’t even sure if it was possible to put it back on after it had been taken off. No deviants had attempted it from what he could recall.

After another few moments of deliberating, Connor made his decision. He took off his jacket and folded it so the identifying bands were hidden before leaving the room. The cameras were checked as he went down the stairs, stopping off at the clothing department where he grabbed the needed shirt and pants of the WG100’s, a series of commercial androids designed for city maintenance services, and changed quickly before continuing his path onwards. A stop in a bathroom to change his hair and eye color (light brown and green respectively) was all he had left to do before he returned to the room the other RK unit was in so he could hide his old outfit in the drop ceiling. Once that was done, Connor took one last quick look at the android in the Cradle before leaving once again. It didn’t take him long to get outside, and the new clothes as well as new appearance made him feel less noticeable. He walked out into the September noonday sun and inhaled the crisp autumnal air; his olfactory receptors broke down the individual trace scents in the air and gave him a report, but he pushed that away and just tried to enjoy his first day outside in a month.

He walked along the leaf covered sidewalk to the other side of Belle Isle where the greenery was still obvious in the public park. Sights of families roaming around in the cooling air made a smile twitch at his lips which he had to smother down. An android can’t just randomly smile; someday but not today. Along one of the routes was a bus stop, and with a quick search Connor found the next scheduled pick up. He only had to wait a half hour, wandering aimlessly while pretending that he wasn’t _actually_ wandering, before he was able to board the driverless bus and head across the bridge and back to Detroit proper.

**Author's Note:**

> [My tumblr](http://infamousrowe.tumblr.com)   
>  [And here's a playlist](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL7oVLXcU8Q2-Ad5ghhAlJWuuLRO1lSbmq)


End file.
